08/13/2018

Sunday was the last day for Joan's seventieth birthday celebration. Last year for Christmas Robin sent us a hundred-dollar gift certificate for Salty's, a high end seafood restaurant on the Columbia River. And everyone ate well. That's what we did. I had fish and chips because the surf and turf was just way too expensive to justify. But the fish and chips were high-end, and I had a side of fried artichokes which was good too. Joan had grilled steelhead trout, and Joan's kids got good stuff too. The picture is of Joan's older daughter Kate and her partner Andrew. They're out visiting this week from Asheville.

Above are the folks from across the street. Up here in the Northwest having fried chicken and waffles is a thing. I don't know if it was originally a southern thing, but I've had it once. And it is what it is. I like chicken and I like waffles. And I like them together, but I wouldn't make a habit of it.

08/11/2018

08/10/2018

08/09/2018

Meanwhile, up here in Portland, we didn't reach a hundred. Last I heard it was 95, leaning on 96. The folks across the street left us a bunch of cherry tomatoes, plus a pale green zucchini and one large tomato.

Iz and I got our walks in. We went to WinCo, a grocery chain, to get a big pork butt. Joan'll be making a big pot of pulled pork for the block party on Saturday, and an avocado salad of sorts.

Joan up some very good steaks tonight. Every once in awhile a good piece of beef is awesome.

08/07/2018

However, the temperature in Portland is going back up. It's going to be in the high nineties with it hitting a hundred on Wednesday. They're saying that it will drop to the low eighties or seventies by the weekend. Joan's daughter Kate, from Asheville, will be coming in on Friday and the big block party is on Saturday. Until then, except for walking the Iz, we will be hiding inside next to the air conditioner.

The woman working at the Chevron was off when we came by this morning but plenty of other new people came up to visit with her. Things are pretty good. Even my knee has been feeling pretty good lately.

Tonight Joan made a "low country boil" in her instant pot. Potatoes, sausage, shrimp, garlic and onion. It was pretty darned good.

08/05/2018

I never liked gin. A professor I had when I was taking night classes at Northeastern (in Boston, when I was at Fort Devens) described it as a tombstone on your tongue. That's a close enough description for me. But it sounds good. I mean, I've enjoyed a few strawberry rhubarb pies in my life. I guess that you could substitute vodka for gin.

Took Izzy on a nice long walk Saturday morning. Friday we went up the stairs and around the long way, past the teriaki place, the chocolate place, the coffee shop, the comics shop, the bicycle shop, the food carts, the workout gym, Sheridan's Bar at 52nd, past the Laurelwood pub and make a turn onto 51st Avenue home. But we got as far as the coffee shop when up the block comes Nancy, who lives on our block, walking Lucy, her dog. We chatted for a few minutes about nothing much. I went as far as Sheridan's. Sheridan's has a couple tables outside on Sandy Boulevard for smokers. But the husband of Joan's best friend and their son were standing around in the middle of a big conversation. Michael was telling another story, something he's good at. Michael is eighty, but since he and his wife usually spend about a month every summer visiting their son and grandkids, Michael joined Sheridan's softball team, the team that his son Alec belongs to. They had another really good season and he got most valuable player. And he's good too.

If you look at your email you'll find a picture of someone who had a birthday party on Saturday.